“JavaBeans” is a component architecture for use with the Java programming language. JavaBean is the Java term for a component, where a component is a reusable building block of application logic that a programmer can combine with other components to form an application program. Enterprise JavaBeans is a server component architecture which can extend the JavaBeans architecture to an enterprise, i.e., an organization that uses computers in a networking environment, typically on a very large scale.
A Java programmer can create a Java application program by assembling components that provide the desired functionality for the application. Enterprise JavaBeans are described in detail in the specification entitled Enterprise JavaBeans 2.0, Final Release, Aug. 14, 2001, published by Sun Microsystems, Inc., and available on the World Wide Web at java.sun.com. Accordingly, Enterprise JavaBeans need not be described further herein.
Since the Enterprise JavaBean architecture can support high workload, memory intensive applications, one mechanism that is used by EJB to spare memory resources in bean passivation. Passivating a bean involves suspending the execution of the bean and saving its state to secondary storage. Memory can then be reclaimed for execution of other beans. At some point, the passivated bean may be reactivated and allowed to continue processing. Passivation and activation are described, for example, in Chapters 10, 12 and 14 of the EJB 2.0 Specification and need not be described in detail herein.
The EJB 2.0 Specification also introduces support for association relationships between entity beans. There are two main categories of association relationships between entity beans: single-valued relationships and many-valued relationships. See, for example, Chapter 10, Section 10.3.7 of the EJB 2.0 Specification, Pages, 137–155. Association relationships for EJBs are well known to those having skill in the art and need not be described further herein.